Dual distributor



p 1942- l M. F. PETERYS ETAL 2,

DUAL DISTRIBUTOR Original Filed July 3, 1940 a J \Q lllll a 8 :2? B a m, n fl I a N F INVENTORS Melville F Pelers Gear e F'Blacfiburn 0 0r nrronwsr I Patented Sept. 29, 1942 1705!: DISTRIBUTOR Melville I. Peters, Beltsville. Mil,

Mum. W

34. Divided be! 9, 1941, Serial and George F.

ashingtonJLC. 01$ application July 3, 1940, Serial No.

and this application Septemlflo. 410,168

Claims. (Cl. 200-20) (Granted under the act of March a, 1m, as amended April 30.1928; :10, o. o. m)

This invention relates to current distributors and more particularly to a dual distributor for internal combustion engines.

The instant application is a division of application, Serial No. 343,734, flied July 3, 1940, for Condenser discharge ignition system, Patent No. 2,278,48L'dated April '7, 1942.

In engines having a large number of cylinders, a single distributor'having a suiiicient number of electrodes to serve all the cylinders becomes a large and heavy structure, taking up an inordinate amount of space and adding a considerable amount of weight to the engine, which is particularly objectionable in installations such as aircraft where weight is of the essence. This is true because of the fact that the distributors must of necessity assume a generally cylindrical form and an increase in the number of electrodes will in turn cause an increase in the radius of the cylinder. Since the volume of the cylinder will vary as the square of its radius it can be readily seen that an increase of the number of cylinders in an engine will greatly increase the size and weight of the distributor.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel distributor for distributing current impulses to a comparatively great number of outgoing conductors.

A further object is to provide a distributor of the foregoing character having comparatively small overall dimensions.

A further object is to provide a distributor having two complete sets of electrodes, yet involving only a small increase in weight and size over a distributor having only one set .of

electrodes.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a dual distributor having two complete sets of electrodes each having separate outgoing conductors for each of the electrodes extending outwardly from the distributor in parallel relation and in the same direction.

A still further object is to provide a dual distributor for distributing current impulses to a comparatively great number of outgoing conductors that is of a simple, compact design and that may be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when considered together with the accompanying drawing which discloses one embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is designed for purposes of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for the latter purpose.

In the drawing wherein similar reference characters denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional view of a current distributor embodying the principles of the present invention, thersection being taken along the longitudinal axis of the distributor;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the distributor taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the distributor taken along line 33 of Fig. 1.

With reference more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a dual distributor constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is disclosed therein including a shaft i0, drivably connected to the internal combustion engine not shown, having a bushing Ii of insulating material keyed thereto. A pair of disklike elements l2 and I 3, of insulating material, spaced apart by a sleeve-like member it also of insulating material, are mounted on the bushing II and are adapted to rotate therewith, the foregoing elements comprising the rotor of the distributor. The disk I3 carries on its outer face a pair of concentric pick-up rings l5 and iii. The ring 15 has leading from it a conductor H which passes through sleeve H and connects to a conductor l8 extending radially to the periphery of disk i2 and terminating in an electrode IS. The ring 16 connects to a conductor 20 which extends radially through the disk i3 to its periphery where it terminates in an electrode 2|.

The shell of the distributor is formed by a cylinder casing 22 of insulating material and includes an intermediate partition wall 23, the purpose of the latter appearing more fully hereinafter. A face-plate 24 of insulating material is secured to one end of casing 22, the other end of the casing being formed by a plate 25 also of insulating material.

A plurality of electrodes 26 are secured in the periphery of casing 22 at equally spaced points threaded conductors 30 to cables 3| leading to the engine spark plugs. Electrodes l9 and 2| are shown in simultaneous contact with electrodes 28 and 29, respectively, for purpose of clarity. In

actual construction, however, electrode 19 is at electrical contact with pick-up ring 15. A similar brush 38 in fitting 35 is maintained in electrical contact with ring l6.

. As heretofore stated, means are provided by the present invention formounting the series of conductors 28 and 3| in parallel relation and in such a manner that each of the conductors leave the distributor in the same direction from a common portionthereof. With such construction the distributor forms a compact assembly and therefore maybe readily mounted on the engine since the outgoing conductors are substantially grouped together. As shown more particularly in Fig. 3, such means includes the intermediate partition wall 23 which extends in wardly and terminates adjacent the sleeve-like member It. The intermediatepartition has such dimensions that each of the outgoing conductors of both series may be readily connected to its corresponding electrode and extend outwardly in parallel relation from casing 22 at the upper portion thereof, as shown in the drawing.

In operation, a source of current from the ignition system is continually impressed upon electrodes 19 and 2| through cables 32 and 33. Upon rotation of shaft II], in response to rotation of the engine, electrodes i9 and-2| will successively pass electrodes 26 and 29 respectively and current impulses will be successively impressed upon the spark plugs of the engine through outgoing conductors 28 and 30.

There has thus been provided by the present invention a novel current distributing device for distributing current impulses to a comparatively great number of outgoing conductors of such construction that the assembly has comparatively small overall dimensions and involves only a small increase in weight over conventional distributors for distributing current impulses to a comparatively less number of outgoing conductors. The novel distributor is characterized by the outgoing conductors leaving the distributor in parallel relation and in the same direction from a substantially common portion thereof.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail herein, it is to be expressly understood that various changes and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as well understood by those skilled in the art; for example, the distributor may include additional series of electrodes and a corresponding, disk carried electrode therefor, and

also, the number of electrodes included in each of the series may be varied whereby the distributor may be utilized in connection with an engine having any number of cylinders, not only disclosed and described. Reference therefore will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limitsof the invention.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and usedby or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties brush 36 is biased by a spring 31 into continuous thereon or therefor.

We claim:

1. A dual distributor for successively applying electrical impulses to a plurality of spark plugs of an enginecomprising a shaft driven by the engine with which said distributoris to be used, a pair of spaced apart disk-like members carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, a pair of pick-up rings concentric with said shaft carried by one face of one of said members, a conductor leading from each of said rings to the periphery of a separate one of said members and terminating in an electrode, means insulating said conductors and said rings from ground and from each other, a casing enclosing said disk-like members, two spaced series of elec-' trodes carried by said casing, each of said series being so located as to. be passed in succession by one of said disk-carried electrodes, means connecting each electrode of said series to a spark plug of said engine, and means held in continu-. ous contact with each of said pick-up rings for supplying current thereto.

2. A dual distributor for successively applying electrical impulses to a plurality of conductors comprising a rotor including a -plurality of spaced-apart disk-like members, an electrode positloned on the periphery of each of said members, means insulating said electrodes from the ground and from each other, a casing for said rotor including an intermediate portion of insulating material extending inwardly between said members, a plurality of spaced-apart series of electrodes carried by said casing, each of said series soloc'ated as to be passed in succession by one of said disk carriedelectrodes, and said conductors carried by said intermediate portion and each connected to one electrode of each of said series. Y

3. A dual distributor for successively applying electrical impulses to a plurality of spark plugs of an engine comprising a shaft driven by the engine with which said distributor is to be used,

a pair of spaced apart disk-like members carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, a pair of pick-up rings concentric with said shaft carried by one face of one of said members, a confor an engine having only fourteen cylinders as ductor leading from each of said rings to the periphery of a separate one of said members and terminating in an electrode, means insulating said conductors and said rings from ground and from each other, a casing enclosing said disk-like members, said casing including a cylindrical portion of insulating material extending inwardly between said disc-like members, two

spaced series of electrodes carried by said casing, each of said series being so located as to be passed in succession by one of said disk-carried electrodes, means connecting each electrode of said series to a spark plug of said engine, the last named means including a conductor connected to each electrode of said series, said conductors carried by said cylindrical portion and all protrudingtherefrom in parallel relation and in the same direction, and means held in continuous contact with each of said pick-up rings for supplying current thereto.

. 4. A dual distributor for successively applying electrical impulses to a plurality of spark plugs of an engine comprising a shaft driven by the engine with which the distributor is to be used, a pair of spaced-apart disk-like members c'arried by said shaft for rotation therewith, a pair of pick-up rings concentric with said shaft carried by one face of one of said members, a conductor leading from each of said rings to the periphery of a separate one of said members and terminating in an electrode, means insulating said conductors and said rings from the ground and from each other, a casing enclosing said disk-like members including an intermediate partition wall of insulating material extending inwardly between said members, two spaced series of electrodes carried by said casing on opposite sides of said partition wall, each of said series being so located as to be passed into succession by one of said disk carried electrodes,

*means connecting each electrode of said series to a spark plug of said engine, the last named means including a plurality of outgoing conductors positioned in parallel relation in said partition wall each having one end thereof connected to one electrode and the other end extending outwardly from said casing in the same direction and in parallel relation with the other outgoing conductors, and means held in continuous contact with each of said pick-up rings for supplying current thereto.

5. A dual distributor for successively applying electrical impulses to a plurality of conductors comprising a rotor, a pair of spaced-apart electrodes positioned on said rotor for rotation therewith, means insulating said electrodes from the ground and from each other, a casing for said rotor including an intermediate portion of insulating material extending inwardly between said electrodes, 9. pair of spaced-apart series of electrodes carried by said casing, each of said series so located as to be passed in succession by one of said electrodes, said conductors carried by said intermediate portion in parallel relation and each terminating adjacent an electrode of said pair of spaced series of electrodes,

and means electrically connecting each of saidconductors to the electrode adjacent the terminating end thereof.

MELVILLE F. PETERS. GEORGE F. BLACKBURN. 

